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The University of Texas fired Longhorns men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard for cause on Thursday, less than a month after his Dec. 12 arrest on third-degree domestic violence charges after an altercation with his fiancée.
Beard was offered the chance to resign, according to documents obtained by the American-Statesman under the Freedom of Information Act, but he chose not to.
Perry Minton, Beard’s lawyer, wrote Texas, saying, «I want to be on record as emphatically stating, and herein memorializing, that Coach Beard has not done anything to violate any provision of his contract with the University of Texas.»
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte informed Beard of the school’s decision to terminate him Thursday and in a statement released later said, «This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through. We thanks Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it the most. We are grateful he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season.»
Beard, 49, was in his second season as head basketball coach. He had been suspended without pay by the university since Dec. 12 after his fiancée Randi Trew called Austin police and told them Beard had strangled her, bit her and caused her abrasions. He was booked in the Travis County jail and released later that day after posting $10,000 bail.
Beard, who was the 2019 Associated Press national coach of the year, signed a seven-year contract with Texas in April 2021 for around $5 million a year. His Texas record was 29-13, including the school’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2014 last season.
Texas associate head coach Rodney Terry, who worked as the head coach at Texas-El Paso and Fresno State for 10 years before joining Beard’s staff, has served as the Longhorns’ acting head coach for the last six games. Texas is 12-2 and ranked No. 6 in this week’s Top 25 poll. Texas has gone 5-1 without Beard.What led to the Chris Beard’s arrest?
Police said they were dispatched to Beard’s house in his Tarrytown neighborhood around 2 a.m. on Dec. 12 after Trew called 911 to say the coach had attacked her.
According to the arrest affidavit, Trew said the couple had been arguing about their relationship for several days.
